killed

When watching any nature special from PBS or the BBC featuring dangerous wild animals photographed at reasonably close range, how often do you stop and consider the very real danger men and women are in while getting that footage?

The kids were in Africa serving as TV hosts for the CBBC (BBC's children's channel) show, Serious Explorers. Seven children were planning to follow the steps of Victorian explorer Dr. David Livingston.

Reports say, when the elephant charged a group of the CBBC kids, Turner challenged the elephant and attempted to shoot his rifle at the animal. But, he was unable to open fire in time and was trampled. Turner leaves behind a pregnant wife.

Is it even possible to imagine The Young and the Restless without Eric Braeden as hero/villain Victor Newman? You would think not, but then Days of Our Lives moved on without Deidre Hall as Dr. Marlena Evans, didn't it? Still, Braeden and his alter ego Victor is still a front and center presence on the show, an integral part of the storytelling. Therefore, the news that The Young and the Restless is contemplating killing off Victor if they cannot resolve the contract dispute with Braeden is a shocker.

Braeden is working now under a contract that lasts till 2010, and his reps have said that he would take a pay cut once the term is up. However, producers are asking him to take a pay cut now. That, my friends, is the rub. Braeden wants to help the show stay on the air, but he's not ready to take an economic hit until he has to. That's understandable.

Most of you have probably heard about the tragic bus accident that took the lives of six people last Friday: a bus carrying the Bluffton University baseball team to Florida crashed over a guard rail near Atlanta and crashed onto the highway thirty feet below. Six people were killed in the accident.

Lane Garrison faces prison time for a car crash that killed a 17-year old girl. Garrison, who played "Tweener" in 14 episodes of Prison Break, was apparently drunk when he crashed into a tree in December. Riding in his SUV with him were two 15-year old girls and a 17-year old girl, who died in the accident. Garrison is also being charged with injuring the other two passengers and providing them with alcohol. For all his infractions, the maximum sentence he could face is six years, eight months in prison.

Garrison is currently out on $100,000 bail and is banned from driving, drinking or visiting bars. Garrison's lawyer says a plea bargain is in the works, where the actor will "accept responsibility for his conduct."

Footage of insurgent snipers targeting and killing an American soldier was shown on CNN Thursday, prompting some politicians to lash out at the cable news giant for allowing the footage to be seen. The video was originally shown on Anderson Cooper 360 and on later news broadcasts. The actual moment of impact is not shown, and the soldier's identity is blacked out, which is part of a pledge embedded reporters sign forbidding them to reveal the identities of dead soldiers before their families can be notified. David Doss, a producer for CNN, defended the video, saying it was the cable network's goal to "present the unvarnished truth ." Others argue it was irresponsible for CNN to show the video, which was made by insurgents.

Steve Irwin, also known as The Crocodile Hunter, has been killed. Aussie media and CNN are reporting that he was killed by a stingray barb that went through his chest. He was snorkeling at north Queensland's Batt Reef at the time, where he was filming an underwater documentary. A friend of his told CNN that Irwin accidentally swam up on top of a stingray in the sand and it attacked, out of self defense.

Steve Irwin became a reptile enthusiast at a young age. He was only eight years old when his father moved the family to Queensland and opened up a small reptile park. Irwin took over the family business in 1991 and turned it into the Australia Zoo. According to Wikipedia, The Crocodile Hunter television show was created in 1992 from footage of crocodile trapping/antics on his honeymoon with his American wife, Terri. His outrageous personality made him an instant hit in the United States.

Irwin was 44 years old. He leaves behind a wife, Terri, and two young children, Bob and Bindi.

(S05E07) Dr. Kroger, Monk's shrink, typically plays a small role on the series. That isn't to say he's not important to Monk. Actually, he's very important to Monk, and Monk considers Kroeger's office his home away from home, the place where, as he tells Natalie, "it all doesn't happen."

When a cleaning lady in Dr. Kroeger's office is stabbed to death, Kroeger fears it may have been one of his patients. This becomes too much for him to bear so he decides to retire. Of course, Monk doesn't take this very well at all, and goes through all the stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. The difference is that Monk goes through them all in just a matter of seconds, and then repeats them over again as if stuck in a loop.

Kroeger suspects a patient named Joseph Wheeler, who once threatened him, may have been the killer. Wheeler works at Animal Crafters, a Build-A-Bear Workshop-type place, but his alibi checks out so they have to rule him out as the killer. Monk and Wheeler have a moment of solidarity when they realize they both lost someone very important when Kroeger quit his practice. They each stand clutching teddy bears and mourning the loss of their shrink.

Mischa Barton and I are both happy about her character's death on The O.C. last week. We just have different reasons. I am just thrilled that she's no longer on the show. Mischa, however, says she's happy her character, Marissa Cooper, got killed in a car wreck rather than "one of those lame farewells." She told Newsweek, "Well, I was really excited that I got to die, to be honest. I've done pretty much everything else with that character." Like pout. And drink. And do drugs. And pout some more. She said that the decision to kill of her character was the producers', not hers. But, she says, she's ready to focus on movies now. She was only on The O.C. for three seasons.

A reality show stunt got way out of hand near Montevideo,
Uruguay on Friday. Hundreds of residents of one town were pulling on a train as part of a reality television show
fundraiser for a local hospital. They were tugging at an engine and two attached cars when several contestants fell and
were run over by the train. Seven were killed.

The residents were competing in a program called, A
Challenge to the Heart, where Uruguayan communities raise money for local charities by completing difficult tasks.

James Frey was going to have a TV show? Well, he was writing one
anyway, but Fox has decided not to go with Frey's show, which would have been about a surfing detective. Frey sold the
script to the network before Oprah and the
rest of the world learned of the fabrications in his so-called memoir A Million Little Pieces. Fox claims its
decision to pass on Frey's tale of a private dick named Donald "Insane" Tremaine had nothing to do with the
maelstrom surrounding Frey and his book. My guess is that the show just wouldn't have been very good.

Lost
producers are denying rumors in US
Weekly that Michelle Rodriguez, who plays the unlikable Ana Lucia on Lost, is being booted off the show
for her bad behavior. Michelle's poor
decisions about drinking and driving made headlines several times during the fall, but Lost producers say
that's no reason to vote the girl off the island.

Co-creator Damon Lindeloff told TV Guide Online's Ask
Ausiello, "Not a word of it is true. Lost's story is the star, and no actor would ever be killed off
for any reason other than supporting the story."

Hmmm. Damon may be speaking a little too early on that
one. Rodriguez goes to trial in March on
her latest drunk driving charge, where she could be sent to California for violating probation
related to drunk driving charges there. I think that'd bring a quick end to Ana Lucia.